My journey to self love | Dr Andrea Pennington | TEDxPeterborough

Recent questions

• How did music impact the speaker's healing journey?

  Music played a crucial role in the speaker's healing journey from self-hatred to self-love. It served as a source of comfort and solace, allowing the speaker to express emotions that were difficult to articulate verbally. Through music, the speaker found a way to connect with themselves on a deeper level, fostering self-acceptance and self-expression. The act of playing the piano for joy, as advised by a doctor, had a significant positive impact on the speaker's mental health during a challenging period in medical school. Overall, music became a powerful tool for the speaker to navigate their emotions, heal from past traumas, and cultivate a sense of self-love.

• What was the speaker's childhood like?

  The speaker's childhood was characterized by being quiet and well-behaved, with a strong emphasis on academic success to gain parental approval. Despite having a natural passion for music and creative arts, the speaker's father discouraged pursuing them as a career. This led the speaker to excel in school and extracurricular activities to maintain parental approval, creating a sense of unease and discomfort. The pressure to meet parental expectations and conform to societal norms shaped the speaker's early years, highlighting the conflict between personal passions and external validation.

• How did the speaker's experience in medical school impact them?

  In medical school, the speaker faced depression and received prescriptions for antidepressants and therapy. The pressure to excel academically, coupled with the internal struggle of self-acceptance, contributed to the speaker's mental health challenges. However, a doctor's advice to play piano for joy proved to be a turning point in the speaker's journey. This simple act of engaging with music as a form of self-care and expression had a profound positive impact on the speaker's mental well-being, highlighting the therapeutic power of creativity and self-expression.

• What led to the speaker's moment of crisis in 2005?

  Despite professional success, the speaker experienced burnout, self-hatred, and depression, culminating in a moment of crisis in 2005. The pressure to meet external expectations and the internal conflict of self-acceptance reached a breaking point, leading the speaker to question their sense of identity and purpose. This crisis served as a catalyst for the speaker to embark on a journey of self-discovery and healing, ultimately leading to a transformative experience that reshaped their perspective on self-love and personal choice.

• How did embracing music and creativity impact the speaker's mental health?

  Embracing music and creativity allowed the speaker to shed the cloak of depression, leading to a real self-love movement and a focus on authenticity and healing. By reconnecting with their passion for music and creative arts, the speaker found a sense of purpose and fulfillment that transcended external validation. This shift towards authenticity and self-expression enabled the speaker to cultivate a deep sense of self-love and acceptance, paving the way for a transformative journey towards healing and personal growth.